Yoshi (Japanese: ヨッシー, Yosshī, sometimes specified as Green Yoshi) is one of the heroes of the Mario franchise, an ally of Mario and Luigi, and the protagonist of his own franchise. He is a member of the Yoshi species and has aided his brethren in saving their homeland on multiple occasions. In his youth, Yoshi managed to rescue and protect Baby Mario and Baby Luigi from the wrath of Kamek and the Koopa Troop. According to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Yoshi is one of the few members of his species who can speak the language of the other characters, though it seems that this is not his first language, since, as in other games, his statements are translated through parentheses. In the Mario franchise, he is a major character and often acts as a steed for Mario and other protagonists, while in most of the Mario sports and party games, he is a playable character on his own.

Creation and development

Early concept art of Mario riding on a dinosaur-like animal.

Shigeru Miyamoto has stated in interviews that he wanted Mario to ride an animal companion after the completion of Super Mario Bros. Technical limitations on the NES kept this from being possible, but with the development of the Super Famicom, an animal partner for Mario could be supported. The character of Yoshi was specifically created by Shigefumi Hino, a graphics designer.

Yoshi likely originated from another Nintendo character, Tamagon, the main character from Devil World. Like Yoshi, Tamagon is a green lizard that hatches from an egg and can eat enemies with his large mouth, and also makes the same noise when he hatches as Yoshi does in Super Mario World. Additionally, according to Takashi Tezuka in the Super Mario History 1985-2010 booklet, Yoshi was originally going to be a type of Koopa, and the saddle on his back was supposed to be his shell.

Yoshi's design has been altered and refined between games over the course of the SNES and Nintendo 64 eras. In his earliest appearances, Yoshi is shown as having a long neck and back and small arms. In later games, like Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Mario Party, Yoshi is shorter and stouter, with longer arms and more human-like hands. In Mario Kart 64, he is given a more upright appearance. The Mario Kart 64 design has been used for his general design ever since, with a few minor, yet notable alterations from Mario Party 4.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario World

In Super Mario World Yoshis appear in four colors, Yoshi (who is green), Red Yoshi, Blue Yoshi, and Yellow Yoshi. Bowser magically encases them in Yoshi Eggs. These eggs are then given to the Koopalings to be watched over. When Yoshi sets off to rescue them, he is also trapped in an egg, which is hidden in a block in a field on Yoshi's Island.

Mario and Luigi eventually stumble across Yoshi's egg and free him. Once released, Yoshi informs the Mario Bros. that Dinosaur Land is in danger. Together they rescue the other imprisoned Yoshis and save Princess Toadstool from Bowser.

Yoshi's artwork in Super Mario World.

Yoshi can use his long tongue to eat almost any type of enemy, including foes Mario and Luigi could not otherwise defeat. If an enemy hits Yoshi, he runs away, meaning Mario or Luigi must chase him down and jump on him in order to calm him down and keep riding. Yoshi cannot enter Ghost Houses (except the Sunken Ghost Ship), Fortresses, the Koopalings' castles, or Bowser's castle. Mario or Luigi enter these levels solo and Yoshi waits outside for them to return. While riding Yoshi, percussion is added to the game's music, a detail applicable to most games where Yoshi is ridable.

When Yoshi eats different types of Koopa shells, he gains different abilities depending on which color shell he ate. When Yoshi eats a Green Shell, he can spit it out as a projectile. When he eats a Red Shell, he can spit out three fireballs. When Yoshi eats a Yellow Shell, he can stomp on the ground, causing miniature earthquakes. Finally, when Yoshi eats a Blue Shell, he can fly for a limited amount of time.

Yoshi can also acquire wings from an item block. These wings turn Yoshi blue, allowing him to fly. In the Star World, Mario can feed Baby Yoshis different colored shells, eventually turning the baby Yoshi into a fully-grown Yoshi. If Mario feeds Baby Yoshi Red or Yellow Shells, Yoshi is then able to use the respective color ability of that shell.

The Mario Bros. manage to defeat the Koopalings and Bowser, thus rescuing the seven Yoshi Eggs and Princess Toadstool. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi return to Yoshi's House to celebrate their victory over the Koopa Troop. During the celebrations that follow, the seven rescued Yoshi eggs hatch into Baby Yoshis.

Super Mario 64

“Mario!!! It[sic] that really you??? It has been so long since our last adventure! They told me that I might see you if I waited here, but I'd just about given up hope!”—Yoshi, Super Mario 64

Yoshi seen on the roof of Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64.

In Super Mario 64, Yoshi plays a very minor role. If Mario manages to acquire all 120 Power Stars, a cannon outside the castle becomes accessible, which can be used to shoot Mario onto the roof of Princess Peach's Castle. There, the player can speak to Yoshi, who congratulates the player for completing the game by delivering a message from the developers and then rewards Mario with 100 extra lives and an improved Triple Jump. After that, Yoshi jumps off of the castle roof into the waterfall, and cannot be spoken to again unless the game is restarted. If Mario does not visit Yoshi after collecting 120 Power Stars, Yoshi remains and can be seen on the roof during the end credits. When speaking to Mario, he says "Mario!!! It that really you???" when it should have been "Mario!!! Is that really you???"

Super Mario World is referenced in this game when Yoshi tells Mario that "it has been so long since [their] last adventure."

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

In the 1999 remake of Super Mario Bros., the player can search for Yoshi Eggs in the challenge mode. If they find one and get it to the end of the stage, the egg hatches and Yoshi emerges in his adult form. Additionally, Yoshi makes other minor appearances.

Super Mario 64 DS

Yoshi, alongside Mario, is one of the main protagonists in Super Mario 64 DS. At the beginning, Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle; when Mario, as well as Luigi and Wario, arrive at the castle, Yoshi is sleeping on the roof. During this time, Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, steals the castle's Power Stars, placing them in the worlds inside the castle's paintings, and seals everyone inside. Yoshi, on the ground, is awakened by one of the Lakitu Bros., who informs him that Mario and company have not returned from the castle. After retrieving the key to the castle's front doors from a rabbit, Yoshi gains access inside and takes on the quest to save the castle and Mario, Luigi, Wario. After saving Mario, Luigi, and Wario (the latter two being optional), the team reclaims the castle's Power Stars, and Mario ultimately defeats Bowser and rescues Princess Peach.

Yoshi is the only character that doesn't have any "power," according to the instruction booklet for the game; as he isn't capable of slide attacking, ground-pounding Brick Blocks or Boos, lifting up enemies/objects, or punching and kicking enemies (though he can still jump on them, and he can only punch and destroy bricks if he eats a Super Mushroom). In place of this, Yoshi has the ability to eat certain enemies and either spit them out and defeat them or swallow them and create an egg, which can be used to defeat other enemies. In addition to swallowing enemies, Yoshi can also swallow coins, items, and even Stars to collect them.

Yoshi features average running and swimming speed, as well as has the highest jump out of the four playable characters, tied with Luigi; while jumping, the player can hold the to perform a Flutter Jump, giving him a boost while in the air to reach further places (this does not work while triple jumping). Unfortunately, Yoshi doesn't triple jump and long jump as high and far as Mario and Luigi do. Additionally, Yoshi's Power Flower ability is Fire Power, which allows him to breathe fire that can melt ice cube blocks and destroy most enemies on contact; he can also breathe a single breath of fire by eating a source of fire and spitting it out. Yoshi will also breathe fire if he swallows enemies, such as Flame Chomps and Fly Guys. Yoshi's fire breath can also destroy signs. Since Yoshi cannot punch or grab objects, like mentioned above, he cannot defeat bosses that require these moves without wearing a cap; in some cases, however, they toss objects, such as Bob-ombs, that Yoshi can eat and use to attack. Additionally, when entering a course, if any of the other characters have been unlocked, Yoshi can enter a level wearing their caps by default by tapping the icon on the touch screen while on the mission select screen.

When one player rides a Yoshi, Yoshi drums are added to the music. Yoshi can flutter jump, such as in previous titles, and has his usual tongue ability. He can easily eat a normal enemy such as a Goomba or Piranha Plant. If Yoshi eats a shelled enemy, he can't swallow it and must spit it out eventually instead. If Yoshi jumps on a Koopa Troopa, the Koopa does not retreat into its shell but is instead instantly defeated. Yoshi can also jump on certain enemies that players cannot normally jump on, such as Piranha Plants and Spinies, though it won't affect the enemies in any way. In this game, eating a Fire Piranha Plant allows Yoshi to spit out a fireball. He can also do the same by eating a fireball (from a Fire Piranha Plant or the player), and he can swallow and spit out an ice ball thrown by an Ice Bro, hammers thrown by a Hammer Bro, other players, and specific blocks, such as Light Blocks. Yoshi can also eat items, though they do not affect the player and instead stay in Yoshi's mouth. The item in Yoshi's mouth disappears if Yoshi enters a sub-level. Like with Super Mario World, if Yoshi is struck by an enemy without swallowing or jumping on it, he drops the player and run about until the player regains control of him. If not stopped, Yoshi may run off of a cliff or sink in quicksand.

Berries can be found in the levels that Yoshi appears in, and if Yoshi eats five berries, he lays an egg that contains an item. This happens also if Yoshi eats a Pokey while it is covered in leaves. At the end of a level, Yoshi waves goodbye.

After finding out that Bowser has stolen all the Power Stars, Yoshi decides to go and look for most of them himself. As he explores the universe, he ends up in a galaxy known as Yoshi Star Galaxy. He then gets lost and starts running around in circles in his confusion. Bowser then orders a Magikoopa to go and get rid of Yoshi.

Later on in the game, Mario arrives in Yoshi Star Galaxy and after some exploration and finds a little Luma, who informs Mario on what has happened to Yoshi. The Luma tells that a Magikoopa appeared out of nowhere, trapped Yoshi inside an egg and encased it in a magical forcefield. Mario easily defeats the Magikoopa, negating its forcefield and allowing him to crack open Yoshi's egg. Yoshi thanks Mario for saving him and offers his assistance to help Mario throughout the rest of his quest. From there on, Yoshi is playable on Starship Mario, and occasionally teams up with Mario (and Luigi) to get back the Power Stars and save the universe. Yoshi can talk properly in this game too, since a dialogue box appears above him when he is first encountered in Yoshi Star Galaxy.

Yoshi can eat various fruit in order to change his color and gain power-ups like in Super Mario Sunshine. These abilities include the red Dash Yoshi, who can run at high speeds over water and up walls when he eats a Dash Pepper; the light blue Blimp Yoshi, who inflates like a balloon and floats towards virtually unreachable areas when a Blimp Fruit is ingested; and the yellow Bulb Yoshi, who can illuminate hidden objects by eating a Bulb Berry. Drums play when Mario is on Yoshi, as in Super Mario World.

Yoshi has the ability to perform Flutter Jumps, but he cannot do triple jumps. Additionally, he is faster than both Mario and Luigi. He can eat objects when players target them with the Wii Remote and press the button, replacing the player's ability to shoot Star Bits. If players want to stop riding Yoshi, they must hold down and press . Yoshi can swim in this game, but he cannot dive, and unlike in earlier games, Yoshi cannot do Ground Pounds, since the command to do so is instead used as part of the command to make Mario jump off.

Also, like in the past games, if Mario takes damage while on Yoshi, Yoshi runs off (however the second player can use the Co-Star Luma to prevent him from doing so). If he is not mounted for a while, Yoshi retreats into his egg in the nest where he was initially encountered in the area. Electrical attacks, electric barriers, lava or certain fire attacks also send Yoshi back to his egg.

As in Super Mario Galaxy, the player has the option to choose Yoshi as one of the planets that represents their save file. Additionally, when completing a level with Yoshi, he does his own victory pose (with Mario) and makes a victory sound.

New Super Luigi U

Yoshi also appears in New Super Luigi U, having the same role and purpose as in New Super Mario Bros. U.

Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS

Yoshi returns in Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, appearing in both the Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U styles, where he retains his functions in each style. He is replaced by the Goomba's Shoe in the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 styles. In addition, Yoshi (and his yarn forms) appears as an unlockable Mystery Mushroomcostume, which can be unlocked either at random upon completion of the 100-Mario Challenge, or by scanning a compatible Yoshi amiibo. The standard Yoshi costume replaces the usual Super Mario Bros. sound effects with sounds from Super Mario World while Yarn Yoshis use sound effects from Yoshi's Woolly World.

Super Mario-Kun

Yoshi appears in the first volume of Super Mario-Kun and has since been a frequently occurring character accompanying Mario. Yoshi is often yelled by Mario because Yoshi makes unexpected actions and mistakes. In the beginning of volume 23, Mario, Luigi, and Wario have been taking advantage of Yoshi, so Yoshi leaves to find better friends. Yoshi enters a haunted house and decides to settle with the Boos. The Big Boo, however, places a stamp with Bowser's face, making Yoshi turn suddenly aggressive. When Mario, Luigi, and Wario venture in the house, looking for Yoshi, Yoshi attacks them. During the attack, however, Yoshi runs through a wall and gets stuck. When Yoshi is about to be crushed by a Thwomp, however, Mario leaps in and struggles to hold up the Thwomp, shocking Luigi and Wario. The Bowser stamp falls off, but the two end up getting crushed.

Super Mario World television series

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information.

Yoshi, as seen in the musical comedy cartoon Super Mario World television series episode "Gopher Bash".

Yoshi appears as one of the four main characters in the Super Mario World animated series produced by Nintendo and DIC Entertainment, replacing Toad from the previous cartoons. In the cartoon, Yoshi is depicted as being very young and childish (despite being older than Mario and Luigi in the games). Yoshi appears having a large appetite, which has the tendency to get him into trouble. Like other inhabitants of Dinosaur Land in the cartoon, he speaks in a more simple and primitive manner. As explained in "Mama Luigi," Luigi first finds Yoshi while trapped in the Lava Pits; he is searching for an item when, after hitting a coin block several times, a Yoshi Egg pops out of it. The egg soon after hatches into a young Yoshi, who believes Luigi to be its mother.

Yoshi appears in every episode with the following roles:

Fire Sale: At the start, Yoshi is stopped from eating the Dome City's barbecue and told to go to Mama Fire Plant's dome to buy more fireballs. On the way there, Yoshi learns that Mama Fire Plant was in trouble and rushes off to tell Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool. Yoshi and friends try to save Mama Fire Plant from Kootie Pie Koopa and he ends up saving the plant and melting Kootie Pie Koopa's Ice Palace. This episode also shows that Yoshi has a fear of water.

The Wheel Thing: Yoshi eats plenty of "STOP" signs that Luigi had made for when something wrong happened. Then, he helps Mario and Luigi defeat Kooky and Bowser's Mega Mechanasaur by creating potholes.

Send in the Clown: At the start of the episode, Yoshi is seen acting as the ball boy for a tennis match between Mario and Princess Toadstool. After getting in trouble for eating the fireball they were using, the group notices the poster for Bowser's circus. Yoshi and friends go to Bowser's circus only to be trapped in a cage. In the end, Mario defeats Bowser and saves them and they perform their own circus with Yoshi as the clown.

Ghosts 'R' Us: Yoshi and friends venture into the enchanted forest only to find a Koopa wizard named Wizardheimer. The wizard captures and locks away everybody but Yoshi, who escapes. Soon after Yoshi ventures into the wizard's house and saves all his friends.

The Night Before Cave Christmas: Yoshi and Oogtar are seen fighting over food at the beginning of the episode, which gives Mario the idea of having Cave Christmas (even though it is August). Yoshi and friends make presents for all the cave people to celebrate Cave Christmas only for Bowser to steal the presents. Yoshi and Mario then go and take back all the presents Bowser stole and then give them to the cave people.

King Scoopa Koopa: Yoshi and friends find a new fast food stand run by Bowser. Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi chow down until they become fat. Unfortunately, Yoshi and Luigi become Chickadactyls along with the rest of the cave people. In the end, Mario saves every one by destroying the shop.

Born to Ride: Mario and Luigi are installing plumbing in the Dome Castle for Princess Toadstool, only to have it eaten by Yoshi. The Mario Bros. scold Yoshi for eating it which upsets Yoshi. Yoshi runs away from Dome City and joins a biker gang called The Dino Riders. They secretly try to hand the Mario Bros. over to King Koopa but Yoshi soon finds out and saves them.

Party Line: Yoshi helps clean up the vines scattered across the town by eating them.

Gopher Bash: Luigi attempts to teach the Cave People how to farm and has Yoshi help him for the various tasks. Yoshi's appetite ends up causing some problems, such as him chasing a berry while plowing the fields and eating the seeds that Luigi plants. After growing some vegetables, Cheatsy Koopa and a group of gophers steal the crops and Yoshi, Luigi, and Mario chase after them to regain them. In the end, however, Yoshi ends up eating everything and is forced to redo it all.

Rock TV: Yoshi helps save Mario and Luigi from being pummeled in wrestling and eats all of Koopa's Rock TVs, including the giant one.

The Yoshi Shuffle: Yoshi and Mario try to save Luigi, who has been turned into a Yoshi egg by playing a game of football with Bully Koopa. In the end, Yoshi and Mario win and turn Luigi back into his normal self.

A Little Learning: Yoshi helps Oogtar the Cave-boy grow an "eggabega" for the science fair but Hip and Hop sneak a Piranha Plant in it. The Piranha Plant starts to wreck the school and eats Bowser, Hip and Hop. Yoshi then eats it and spits the Koopas back to Neon Castle.

Mama Luigi: Yoshi is being tucked into bed by Luigi, who proceeds to tell him the story of how he met Yoshi. As told in the story, Yoshi manages to save Mario and Luigi from Mechakoopas and rescues Princess Toadstool from King Koopa. At the end, Yoshi falls asleep.

Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land

Yoshi in Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land.

Yoshi is a main character in the interactive OVA Super Mario World: Mario to Yoshi no Bōken Land. Princess Peach was on vacation visiting him in Dinosaur Land, but when Mario and Luigi arrived, they found that King Koopa had invaded the area, and neither Princess Peach nor Yoshi was anywhere to be found. However, when Luigi hits a Block, an egg comes out, and Yoshi hatches from it. The three decide to save Princess Peach, the rest of the Yoshis and Dinosaur Land from the Koopas. Yoshi lets the brothers ride on his back, much like in the game.

Super Mario Adventures

Yoshi appeared in Nintendo Power's Super Mario Adventures comics. According to the comics, Yoshi was the Chairman of the Dinosaur Chamber of Commerce, and as such, was one of the official leaders of Yoshi's Village. In these comics, Yoshi joined Mario and Luigi in their search for Bowser, as the King of the Koopas had captured several Yoshis from the village.

A Wiggler attacks Mario and Luigi until Yoshi eats it. Then, later, Yoshi eats a blue Koopa Paratroopa, and sprouts wings. The Marios ride him. Yoshi flies to the pipe that supposedly leads back to the Mushroom Kingdom, but it was fake, so Mario asks Yoshi where to go instead, causing him to spit out the shell, and Yoshi sputters down to the ground. The Bros. spot a Ghost House. Luigi enters, and Mario attempts to follow atop Yoshi, but the low entrance knocks him off and the dinosaur gets locked out.

Yoshi and Toad as pizza delivery boys.

When they get to Wendy's castle, Bowser is in a wedding with Princess Toadstool. Kamek hypnotizes Toadstool into loving Bowser and Yoshi's friends into being slaves. Yoshi and Luigi find some Yoshi Eggs and start freeing the Yoshis, who stampede on Kamek, breaking his wand and setting Toadstool free. Bowser hides in the wedding cake, but at Mario's command, the Yoshis start eating the cake. Bowser rushes to the top, but the cake crumbles. Afterwards, the Bros. tease Bowser about his defeat, and in the end, the narrator tells the reader that the Yoshis were freed, and the Bros. and Toadstool went home to have some rest.

Yoshi franchise

Yoshi's Cookie

In Yoshi's Cookie, Yoshi appears as a character in V.S. mode. Yoshi has to make horizontal and vertical rows of the same kind of cookie to proceed to the next level. In the Nintendo Puzzle Collection version, there is now story mode in the game, where Mario and Yoshi are making cookies but get exhausted from the many cookie deliveries. Mario and Yoshi then go to sleep. Unfortunately, Bowser steals all the cookies while they are asleep. Mario and Yoshi, soon after waking up, found out that Bowser stole their cookies. They then set out to find Bowser and reclaim their cookies. In Japan, National Human Electronics released a version of the game called Yoshi no Cookie: Kuruppon Oven de Cookie to promote their Kuruppon oven.

Princess Peach sends for Mario and Yoshi to set things right. To aid the two, Peach gives Mario a new weapon, the energy gun known as the Super Scope. With this new weapon in hand, Mario and Yoshi entered a Warp Pipe, sending them to Jewelry Land.

During their adventures in Jewelry Land, Mario rides on Yoshi's saddle armed with the Super Scope. As Yoshi navigated the terrain of Jewelry Land, it was Mario's responsibility to shoot down any enemies in Yoshi's way and defeat Bowser, the Koopalings and the other minions in possession of the gems, many of whom were equipped with giant robots. If Mario accidentally shoots Yoshi in the back of the head, it injures the green dinosaur. In the end, Bowser and his troops leave Jewelry land, and the liberated Prince Pine uses the twelve gems recovered by Mario and Yoshi to reunite the two realms of Jewelry Land. After receiving many thanks from Prince Pine and King Fret, Yoshi and Mario return home to Princess Peach.

Yoshi decides to take Baby Mario back to his clan. As the Yoshis argue about what to do with the infant, Baby Mario points to the horizon. Yoshi decides that his clan should rescue Baby Mario's brother and help both of them find their parents, and the other Yoshis agree. Taking the initiative, Yoshi proposes that they use a relay system between eight Yoshis to transport Baby Mario: each Yoshi travels some distance, then hands Baby Mario to the next dinosaur. taking the lead, Yoshi sets out in the direction Baby Mario was pointing, helping him through the preliminary level and then through World 1-1.

Unfortunately, Kamek's forces had invaded the island and were searching for Baby Mario, complicating the Yoshis' task. To battle the enemies, Yoshi uses his egg-making abilities to transform enemies and other objects into Yoshi Eggs, which he then throws at enemies. The green dinosaur also uses a variety of Morph Bubbles to transform himself into various vehicles to aid in his quest. With these abilities, Yoshi manages to help Baby Mario through the dangers of the first level of each of the six worlds, as well as through all the secret worlds discovered along the way, and eventually Bowser's Castle. He eventually reaches Baby Bowser's bedroom in his search for Baby Luigi, and after being attacked by the young Koopa, handily defeats him. Kamek then uses his magic to transform Baby Bowser into a larger version of himself that destroys the castle before being defeated by Yoshi, through the use of giant eggs.

Ultimately, in the rubble of the castle, Yoshi discovered Baby Luigi and the Stork originally charged with delivering the babies. After untying the Stork, Yoshi says his goodbyes to the babies and allows the bird to continue on his journey and Baby Mario and Baby Luigi arrive home, safe and sound.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

During the events of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (also known as Yoshi's Universal Gravitation), Bowser and his forces attack Yoshi's Island, causing chaos and disorder. In a twist of fate, a spirit named Hongo encases the entire island in a storybook to contain Bowser and his armies (similar to Baby Bowser's own actions in the earlier game, Yoshi's Story). Fortunately, Yoshi manages to convince the powerful spirit to restore Yoshi's Island if the green dinosaur could personally trap Bowser, for if there was no threat posed by Bowser, there would be no need to keep the island isolated. As such, Yoshi sets off through the chapters of the storybook version on Yoshi's Island.

During this adventure, Yoshi acquires a unique and powerful ability: not only could Yoshi use his long tongue to defeat enemies, the green dinosaur could also manipulate gravity. As Yoshi changes the force of gravity, he could cause enemies to fall backwards or even transform walls into hills. This unique ability helped Yoshi complete the various daunting stages before him.

However, Yoshi could not merely walk through a course to complete it. Each course was controlled by a different spirit, and each demanded that the green dinosaur fulfills a specific task before they would allow Yoshi to move to next level. These tasks included destroying a certain number of enemies or acquiring a certain number of coins. Ultimately, after satisfying the task of every spirit, Yoshi confronts and defeats King Bowser, and Hongo restores Yoshi's Island to its natural state.

Balloon Trip

Balloon Trip was a Tech Demo for the Nintendo DS shown in 2004. While it was never released as a full game, it evolved into Yoshi Touch & Go. While the stork was carrying Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their parents, Kamek zipped by and stole Baby Luigi and knocked Baby Mario out into the sky. While Baby Mario descended he found three balloons and slowly started to float down to Earth. While floating he avoided enemies and eventually landed on Yoshi's back.

Yoshi Touch & Go

Baby Mario and Yoshi as they appeared in Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island.

Yoshi makes his first appearance on the Nintendo DS in Yoshi Touch & Go. In the start of each mode, players have to safely help Baby Mario glide down to the forest. They can use clouds with the stylus to block enemies or move him around, make circles around spike-less enemies to make a coin bubble, and add coins to Baby Mario. The player can only be hit three times. The more coins the player collects, the different color Yoshi Baby Mario travel with when he lands.

In the second part, as Yoshi, players can shoot eggs if they have any. The number of eggs a Yoshi carries varies with the color of Yoshi. For example, Green Yoshi has up to 20 eggs, while Brown Yoshi has up to forty eggs. Players can also eat spike-less enemies which give them coins. If players run out or low on eggs, then they must eat fruit to gain more eggs. When they collect 100 coins, an Invincible Star appears, and when Yoshi and Baby Mario touch it, Baby Mario turns into Super Baby Mario, with Yoshi becoming a giant egg. Now invincible, they can run very fast, shoot many eggs, and even destroy enemies in one touch. After a few seconds, the power-up ends and they return back to normal.

If players get hit by an enemy or its attack, the game ends. In most modes, players race to get the most coins, time, or to save Baby Luigi from the Toadies. In marathon, players race to see how far they can go. After every 1000 yards, the Yoshi is swapped for a differently colored Yoshi. If Baby Mario is defeated, the player starts over. If the player loses a life as Yoshi, they can choose to start over or start at the beginning of Baby Mario and Yoshi's partnership.

Yoshi's Island DS

Yoshi carrying Baby Mario in Yoshi's Island DS (this artwork was originally used in the manual for Yoshi Touch & Go).

In Yoshi's Island DS, Kamek and Bowser travel back in time to try and capture the fabled star children, who had special energy in their bodies that, once in his possession, would allow Bowser to take over the world. Not knowing the identity of the star children, Kamek and Bowser simply set out to steal all the children of the Mushroom Kingdom, only to have their quarry escape their grasps one way or another and join Yoshi in a quest to free the other children.

The Stork saw the Toadies carrying the babies away, and he managed to crash into some of them, freeing Baby Mario and Baby Peach, and later on the others. Baby Luigi does not escape the castle, but he does evade detection throughout the game.

Upon reaching Bowser's Castle, Baby Bowser found no reason to further accompany Yoshi, so he immediately abandoned the group. Yoshi refused to continue without him, however, and so Baby Bowser began battling him. Yoshi quickly defeated him, only for an enraged Bowser to emerge and engage in battle with Yoshi right after the young Bowser's defeat. After Yoshi manages to defeat the future Bowser, Kamek finally cuts in and enlarges Bowser to an enormous size. Four Yoshis team up to defeat the gigantic carnation of Bowser, after which Kamek, and the Toadies quickly flee from the destroyed castle. The Yoshis rescue Baby Luigi and the other kidnapped children.

However, between Babies Mario, Luigi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario and Bowser, only six of the seven star children were accounted for. During the credits, a baby green Yoshi is shown to hatch, and he has the missing star above his head.

Yoshi's New Island

Yoshi carrying a Mega Eggdozer with Baby Mario on his back in Yoshi's New Island.

It turns out that the Stork had given the babies to their wrong parents. While the Stork searches for the babies' real parents, Kamek launches another attack on the Stork, grabbing Baby Luigi once again and Baby Mario is sent flying to Egg Island. The Yoshis on the Island agree to help Baby Mario find his brother as Baby Bowser is turning Egg Island into his vacation home. Yoshi and Baby Mario manage to beat Baby Bowser and his older self, saving Egg Island and Baby Luigi is rescued. The Stork later gives the brothers to their real parents.

Yoshi's Woolly World

Yoshi in Yoshi's Woolly World.

In Yoshi's Woolly World, Kamek tries to turn all of the Yoshis on Craft Island into Wonder Wools to help build a new castle for Baby Bowser, but he misses Yoshi himself, along with Red Yoshi. The two then set off on a journey to restore Craft Island to its former glory.

N-Gang

Freeze Frame: After Diddy takes B through worm hole, they find a freezing Yoshi on a snowy landscape. After Yoshi is heated, He, Diddy, and B find Bomberman and Kirby frozen in ice blocks. Yoshi then thaws them by using his fire breath to melt the ice. Then they find that King K. Rool is behind this and go to his castle. After defeating King K. Rool they celebrate with many other Nintendo characters.

N-Gang vs. Nintendo: Yoshi appears here as a player on the Nintendo team at a soccer camp the N-gang went to. Yoshi and his team later faced off against the N-gang in a soccer game.

Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht: Here Yoshi appears trying to stop Gruntilda along with Toni, B, Gecko, VIP, and Banjo. At the end of the comic Yoshi lays an egg for Banjo and he throws it at Gruntilda, defeating her.

Die Ostereier-Situation: In this comic, Yoshi is projected from a video game and into the real world by VIP. Since it is Easter, Yoshi helps out Big B by laying Yoshi eggs which B. needed for his class.

Club Nintendo

Yoshi's Story Comic

The back of the comic.

Yoshi surrounded by enemies in the Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Ostern im Schwammerlland and Super Mario: Die unheimliche Begegnung der Yoshi-Art: Yoshi's first meeting with Mario is depicted in these two comics. Where Mario and friends were out picnicking one Easter morning when they saw the Easter bunny. They tried to catch it but to no prevail although it did drop a large green spotted egg which happened to be a Yoshi egg. The egg eventually hatched into Yoshi, who started searching for his mommy. The first person he saw was Mario, so he proceeded to shout "Mommy!". The surprised and scared Mario ran from Yoshi but the dinosaur followed. After a long time of chasing, Mario and Yoshi decided to be friends.

Super Mario: Im Rausch der Geschwindigkeit: Mario abets Yoshi to go faster than 80-dinosaur power, a fictional speed limit. As a result, Luigi, who works as a police officer in this story, demands a 60 Coins fine from them.

Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland: Yoshi is ridden by Mario to a client's house but is left outside. Later, a different Yoshi accompanies Mario, Toad, and Kirby on their quest to find the Crab wizard because he wants darker skin; he ends up becoming a black Yoshi.

Super Mario: Erholung? Nein, danke!: Yoshi and friends go on a vacation to an island called Koopabiza where they take the airline KoopAir. Unfortunately, the airplane they ride in is in very bad shape a is piloted by a blind clerk who also operated the booking office. After the flight, they find themselves checked into a bad hotel in horrible condition. After a while, Yoshi suggests they go swimming but they find no body of water large enough to go swimming in. At night, they are awoken from their sleep only to find that the hotel disco is making the noise, which is so loud it eventually ruptures the floor beneath them and they fall directly on to the disco. Because of all, this they hurry off the island and go home.

Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit: Yoshi appears in part 1 as a taxi from the stone age, who offers his services to Mario but is declined. He also appears in Mario's house in part 4 wearing sunglasses and a red jacket, relaxing on a stool.

Mario in Mariozilla: Yoshi accidentally eats a shrunken Mario and Kamek. Dr. Light then plans to make Yoshi lay an egg, but after hearing this Yoshi runs away, only to lay an egg two hours later with the pair inside.

Blast Corps in Yoshis Knallkekse: Yoshi drives a truck full of Yoshi cookies until Kamek curses them and then the truck drives off on its own without Yoshi. Yoshi then calls the Blast Corps and Netty from the Blast Corps arrives. Yoshi and Netty then continue to chase the truck until it is stopped by Blast Corps robots.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: In this special comic, Yoshi starts out with a falling Baby Mario and a map landing on his back. After rescuing Baby Mario, Yoshi is then chased by toadies who are after Baby Mario. During this time, Yoshi goes through a tutorial of the game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island with a Message Block for a guide.

Mario Discovery series

Mario is Missing!

During the events of Mario is Missing!, Yoshi accompanied the Mario Bros. to Antarctica to stop Bowser from melting Antarctica and flooding Earth. After Mario gets captured, Luigi decides to stop Bowser himself. Using the Globulator, Luigi can determine where he is. After doing this, Luigi can summon Yoshi for a ride. Here, Yoshi's abilities proved once again to be of great use, as the exit pipe is occupied by a large Pokey that only Yoshi can defeat. With Yoshi's help, Luigi rescues Mario and defeats Bowser.

Mario's Time Machine

Yoshi is captured by Bowser in the NES version of Mario's Time Machine when he tries to help Mario stop the Koopas from stealing artifacts from Earth's history. After returning the artifacts by himself, Mario has to defeat Bowser to get the key and free Yoshi from his cage in the Koopa's castle.

Mario Kart series

Yoshi appears as a playable character in every game in the Mario Kart series. As such, he made his first appearance in Super Mario Kart. Throughout the games, Yoshi is classified as either a lightweight or a middleweight driver.

In Super Mario Kart, Yoshi is part of "The Dragon and the Lady" duo of racers, alongside Princess Peach. When played as by a CPU, he will shoot eggs.

Yoshi's weight is changed to medium in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. His partner is Birdo and his special item is the Yoshi Egg, while his personal kart is the Turbo Yoshi. While the relationship between Birdo and Yoshi is merely implied in English versions, the Japanese website of Mario Kart: Double Dash confirms it. On Birdo's profile, it says "Appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend... or is that boyfriend?!"[2]

In Mario Kart Wii, Yoshi is a medium-sized racer (alongside Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Birdo, Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr., and medium Miis), and features a great off-road speed bonus. He also has a small weight, traction and drift boost.

Yoshi later returns in Mario Kart 7 as a light racer, sharing this weight division with Peach and Daisy.

Yoshi returns in Mario Kart 8. While the official website classifies him as a middleweight, Yoshi is actually a lighter middleweight, focusing a little more on acceleration, handling, and grip than with speed and weight. He shares these traits with Peach and Daisy. By purchasing both DLC packs, the buyer is awarded Light Blue, White, Red, Yellow, Black, Blue, Pink, and Orange alternate colors. They all handle exactly like the original Yoshi but have different colors for karts that change their color.

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Yoshi remains in the same weight subset as Peach and Daisy, while having his stats slightly altered when compared to the Wii U game.

Yoshi is also playable in all three arcade Mario Kart games. In Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, when in his standard kart, Yoshi has exceptional acceleration, but poor weight and top speed. When in his personal kart however, he has a slightly higher top speed at the expense of slightly lower acceleration. He shares these traits with Peach and Blinky. In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Yoshi is a lightweight character, having poor speed, great acceleration, and average handling. He also has two downloadable palette swaps in this game (red and black), which both change his special item. He shares his stats in this game with Peach and Waluigi.

Mario Tennis series

Yoshi from Mario Tennis Open.

Yoshi is typically an agile sports player, allowing him to make quick maneuvers (this was especially prevalent in the Mario Tennis competitions). Yoshi appeared in the game Mario's Tennis as well as its successor Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64). In Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64), Yoshi appeared as a speed character and had three different courses: the Baby Mario & Yoshi Court which has the fastest ball speed but a Weak bounce, the Birdo & Yoshi Court which has a slow ball speed with a strong bounce, and the Yoshi Court which has a fast ball speed with a strong bounce. In the game's intro, Yoshi participates in the tournament, where he wins against Princess Daisy to advance to the semi-finals. Yoshi loses to Mario in the semi-finals match, however. This is also the first game to partner Yoshi with Birdo.

In Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color), Yoshi was unlockable through a transfer pack with the N64 version. Yoshi also has a minigame called Fruit Factory. In Mario Power Tennis Yoshi's skill type was speedy, his Offensive power shot was Rainbow Flutter, and his Defensive power shot was Rolling Egg Return. Yoshi's Mario Power Tennis trophy animation begins with him entering the stage, where Luigi is about to present him his trophy. He then begins to feel hungry and his stomach growls. Mistaking the trophy for a pineapple, he lashes out with his tongue to eat the trophy, accidentally swallowing Luigi in the process. Yoshi can then be seen wondering about Luigi's sudden disappearance.

Yoshi also appears in Mario Tennis Open, where he is once again a playable Speed type character. Also, different colored Yoshis, as well as a Yoshi costume for the player's Mii, can be unlocked in this game by scanning specific QR Codes.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Yoshi would meet up with Mario again during events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this adventure, Yoshi has traveled to Yo'ster Isle, a Yoshi-populated island that can be accessed from the mainland via the Pipe Vault, to participate in the various races held there. This racing competition was known as the Mushroom Derby. Unfortunately, the last winner of the Mushroom Derby was an arrogant Yoshi named Boshi. After winning the race, Boshi declared himself the boss of Yo'ster Isle. He suspended the races, allowing only one-on-one races between himself and a lesser competitor (and only when Yoshi Cookies were on the line).

Yoshi in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.

Upon the plumber's arrival, Yoshi and Mario team up once again, this time to defeat Boshi and end his reign over the small isle. As such, Yoshi put his cookies on the line and challenges the arrogant Yoshi champion to a race.

After a difficult and grueling race, Mario and Yoshi cross the finish line before Boshi. With Boshi defeated, the Yoshis declare Yoshi their new boss, but Yoshi declines the offer, instead suggesting that the races should be owned by everyone.

As thanks for the plumber's help, Yoshi gives Mario a few Yoshi Cookies. Whenever Mario needs aid in battle, he could use one of these cookies to summon Yoshi to the battlefield. Yoshi would then attempt to eat an enemy and convert it into an item for Mario to use. If Yoshi failed, he would give the plumber a Yoshi Candy, an item that can heal a whopping one hundred HP.

Yoshi is depicted in this game as bilingual, for he is able to both speak the Yoshi language and Mario's language. During the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Yoshi acted as Mario's interpreter as the Yoshis on Yo'ster Isle only spoke the Yoshi language.

Mario Party series

Yoshi in his appearance for Mario Party 8.

Yoshi has appeared playable in every Mario Party game that has been released. In Mario Party, he had his own board called Yoshi's Tropical Island. In Mario Party 2 and 3, Yoshi's favorite item was a warp block. If Yoshi was set on as a computer, he would be more than likely to buy a warp block over any other item. Also in Mario Party 3, Yoshi's star stamp was Kindness and his partner was Boo. In Mario Party 4, Yoshi's favorite thing was the Warp Space, which does something similar to the Warp Block. In Mario Party 5, Yoshi was partners with Toad. Yoshi didn't have a default partner in Mario Party 6, but instead he was partners with Birdo in Mario Party 7, Mario Party 8, and Mario Party 9. Yoshi's Special Orb in Mario Party 7 was the Egg Orb. Yoshi is featured in Mario Party 9. His constellation is the "Hero's Best Buddy". Yoshi returned in Mario Party: Island Tour, and he returned in Mario Party 10 as a playable character.

Super Smash Bros.

Yoshi is a playable character in Super Smash Bros., representing his own series of games rather than Mario. Yoshi is one of the heaviest fighters in the game (behind Samus and Donkey Kong), but his attacks are not as powerful as other heavyweights. In addition, despite his weight, Yoshi has an average ground speed, the highest air speed, and a high second jump. Yoshi has a tether grab in the form of his tongue, and is also unique in that his shield is a Yoshi Egg rather than the normal shield.

Most of Yoshi's special moves revolve around the use of eggs, mostly based on his abilities in the Yoshi platforming games. Yoshi's neutral special move is Egg Lay, in which Yoshi grabs an opponent with his tongue, swallows them, and turns them into an egg to trap them. His up special move is Egg Throw, in which Yoshi tosses an egg to deal damage. His down special move is Yoshi Bomb, in which Yoshi leaps up and does a ground pound.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Yoshi returns as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He is given a side special move, Egg Roll, in which he encases himself inside an egg and rolls across the ground. While his general stats have been retained, he does not have the fastest air speed in this game (this is instead Jigglypuff. Yoshi also cannot jump out of shield in this game, the only character to hold this distinction.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Yoshi once again returns as a playable character. Yoshi's appearance in this game has been modified to be more consistent with his modern appearance. He once again has the fastest air speed of any character. Yoshi gains a Final Smash: Super Dragon, which gives Yoshi a massive pair of wings allowing him to fly freely and breathe large fireballs.

The Subspace Emissary

Yoshi's snapshot in The Subspace Emissary.

Yoshi is first seen sleeping on a tree stump in a forest. Link walks by him, without seeing him. Soon, the Halberd attacks the peaceful area, deploying Primids against Link and Yoshi. Yoshi wakes up and walks up to Link, and the two advance through the forest together. After making it through the dangers of the wood, they watch from a cliff as the Halberd flies away, high in the sky, but continue their pursuit of it, undaunted.

If Peach is rescued from Petey Piranha: After reaching a grassland, Link and Yoshi see False Peach about to shoot a Dark Cannon at Mario and Pit, but before she could Link cuts the cannon in half and start to fight. After they win, Mario stops to see Yoshi and Link standing over a dissolving trophy. Mario gets mad at Link, thinking that he is a member of the Subspace Army and that he defeated Peach. He runs to Link and Yoshi very fast and tries to hit Link. Mario and Pit then attack Link and Yoshi.

If Zelda is rescued from Petey Piranha: Link stops to see Mario and Pit standing over a dissolving trophy of False Zelda. Link gets mad at Mario, thinking that he is a member of the Subspace and that he defeated Zelda. He quickly runs towards Mario and tries to hit him. Yoshi then joins Link in fighting Mario and Pit.

Soon, after the battle, the four understand each other and the four become a team. They see King Dedede, who had taken Luigi, Ness, and the other princess. He attempts to take Mario and Pit/Link and Yoshi as well, until Kirby comes and rescues them. Either Link or Pit blows out the engine of the Cargo depending on which fake princess was initially fought (if Peach, it is Pit; if Zelda, it is Link). Along with Kirby, they follow Dedede to his castle, only to find that Bowser had taken the princess and got away.

Eventually, they reach a desert where the Ancient Minister is carrying a Subspace Bomb. Pit fires an arrow at the Ancient Minister, trying to stop him from placing the bomb. However, the Ancient Minister places the bomb and his R.O.B.s install it. Although Mario and Pit try to stop them, the bomb is about to blow up. Ancient Minister leaves the area and the bomb explodes. Mario hops on Yoshi, while everyone else hops on Kirby's Warp Star and they all leave the area before the explosion of the Subspace Bomb reaches them.

After a battle at The Canyon, Yoshi and his teammates meet up with the other heroes and enter Subspace, only to have Tabuu turn everyone into trophies. Yoshi was rescued by Kirby, who had been revived by one of Dedede's badges that he had eaten. Everyone, including Yoshi, then joins forces and eventually defeat Tabuu.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

Yoshi once again returns for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. His appearance has once again been changed in this game, his model being reproportioned and his stance made more upright, making him even more consistent with his current appearance in the Mario and Yoshi series. While his special moves are no different, some of his other moves have been changed to fit with his new appearance. Yoshi is also able to jump out of shield in this game once again, for the first time since the original Super Smash Bros. For equipment, Yoshi is the only character that can use the Egg and Saddle equipment for offense and defense, respectively, and is able to use Boots for speed.

Yoshi finally has two additional colors in this game: purple and black.

Mario Golf series

In the Mario Golf series, Yoshi has a straight golf shot that achieves average heights. In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, Yoshi's drive is 230 yards and his shot is straight, and is also the only male character with a straight shot, as the rest of the golfers with straight shots are females, and all the other males have either fade or draw shots. Yoshi also appears in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Golf: Advance Tour.

Yoshi returns in Mario Golf: World Tour with the same straight, average-height drive. A new golf course, Yoshi Lake, appears and contains giant Yoshi Eggs, bouncy blocks, and many water hazards. The course also appears with the aesthetics of Yoshi's Woolly World.

Mario Baseball series

Yoshi pitches in Mario Super Sluggers.

In Mario Superstar Baseball, Yoshi could not only run at high speeds but could also use his long tongue to field baseballs. While he does have some power, Yoshi is a Speed captain, his item is a Yoshi Egg, his special ball is Egg Ball, and his home field is Yoshi Park. In Mario Super Sluggers, Yoshi's home field is once again Yoshi Park and its minigame is Piranha Panic. On the map, Yoshi can use Manholes and Ground Pound the ground by trees to make characters come out.

In both games, Yoshi has around average fielding skills, very good running skills, and fairly weak pitching skills. However, in Mario Super Sluggers, his batting skills are weaker than in Mario Superstar Baseball.

In Mario Strikers Charged, his Team number is once again eight, his captain type is balanced, his Mega Strike is Winged Yoshi, his super ability is Egg Roll, and his theme is Energetic Broadway.

His clothing in the first game is a blue and orange jersey complete with blue and orange cleats with a Y on it. His second soccer outfit is a green and blue armored jersey with his team logo on it with green and white cleats.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Yoshi's artwork in Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Yoshi appeared as an all-around player. His special move is the Flutter Dunk, which can be used after the player taps a letter 'M' on the Nintendo DS. Alternate colors of himself can be unlocked.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a strange pink and green egg mysteriously appears on the island. This egg was much larger than any Yoshi egg, and soon the mysterious object becomes a tourist destination. Unfortunately, the strange egg eventually hatches into a gigantic Yoshi-like monster known as Yoob.

Fortunately, Yoshi, apparently the same Green Yoshi that saved Baby Mario, organizes his fellow Yoshis and helps them escape the wrath of Yoob. While in hiding, Yoshi encounters some old friends, for Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, along with their time-traveling adult counterparts, had returned to Yoshi's Island to help eliminate the Shroob threat. Unfortunately, this reunion is cut short when Yoob discovers the secret hideout. The Yoshis attempted to flee, but Yoob swallows them, one by one. Yoshi attempts to battle Yoob by himself, but the monster simply grabs him with its long tongue.

Yoshi ends up in Yoob's Belly, the location of the factory which makes Yoob eggs. Knowing he has to find a way out, he looks around and discovers a Chomp Rock sitting in the monster's stomach. Yoshi concludes that if he could push the massive rock through Yoob's intestines, he could widen the internal organs and thus allow the captured Yoshis to escape. Unfortunately, Yoshi was not strong enough to push the Chomp Rock by himself. Fortunately, the four Mario Bros. of past and present arrive to lend a hand. The brothers rescue the other Yoshis and with their combined power, the Yoshis managed to force the Chomp Rock through Yoob's intestines, opening the way to the exit. Yoshi leads his fellow Yoshis through the dark intestines, rescuing a few more imprisoned Yoshis along the way. Eventually, after the four Mario brothers defeated the guardian of the factory, Sunnycide, Yoshi and his companions exit through Yoob's digestive tract and return to Yoshi's Island. With the factory ruined and the Yoshis freed, Yoob deactivates and Yoshi's Island is safe once more.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is Yoshi's only appearance in the Mario & Luigi series as a standout and distinctive character from the other Yoshis.

Mario Sports Mix

In the Wii game Mario Sports Mix, Yoshi is an all-rounder. He featured average power, above average speed, and below average technique. Additionally, he has three alternate colors that can be picked upon unlocking; pink, light blue, and yellow.

Fortune Street

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information.

Yoshi's artwork in Fortune Street.

Yoshi appears as a Rank B playable character in the Wii game, Fortune Street. This rank means that when faced as a CPU opponent, he has average or medium difficulty.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Yoshi appears in Paper Mario: Color Splash, stolen from a Ghost Toad of the Dark Bloo Inn by a Shy Guy. He's invisible and known as "it". Mario defeats the boss of the Shy Guy, a Shady Sledge Bro, making his henchmen fly away and allowing Mario to return Yoshi to the ghost Toad, who puts him on the table of his room. At this point, Mario can hit Yoshi with the Paint Hammer, making him visible again. Mario has an option to ride him; however, when Mario attempts to do so, Yoshi will run away[3]. He can be seen later in the game outside of The Emerald Circus. He will thank Mario for rescuing him from the Dark Bloo Inn and to free all the Yoshis that were trapped in a cage. Like in the other Paper Mario games, Yoshi's posture is similar to those of his original design.

Mario Sports Superstars

Yoshi appears in Mario Sports Superstars as a Balance type character in most sports, having thus balanced stats all around. In tennis, he is a Speed type character as per the Mario Tennis series. In golf, Yoshi's default drive is 212 yards, and his shots travel straight and at a medium height.

Yoshi is referenced and makes several cameo appearances in the 3DS version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. During a trailer presented at E3 2011, shows Naked Snake scanning the jungle with his binoculars, only for him to become surprised and bewildered when he sees Yoshi in the distance. It is later revealed that all the Kerotans in the game had been replaced with Yoshi dolls. If one is to find and shoot all the Yoshis, they are rewarded with the "Yoshi" rank at the end. An optional radio call with Para-Medic about Yoshis can be heard as well.

A free DLC stage for the Wii U version Sonic Lost World titled Yoshi's Island Zone is heavily based off the Yoshi's Island series of games, mainly Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island in terms of gameplay and Yoshi's Story in terms of art style. In this stage, Rings are replaced by Yoshi Coins and Red Rings are replaced by flowers. There are also four Egg Blocks located throughout the stage which release three Yoshi Eggs each when Sonic hits them from below; getting hit by an enemy causes Sonic to lose all of the eggs he has collected and the player cannot get them back. Once Sonic passes through the goal roulette at the end of the stage a single Yoshi pops out of each of the eggs Sonic has collected, and each rescued Yoshi grants Sonic an extra life. Due to this fact, the stage cannot be played again until the player has gained another 100,000 points in other stages.[4]

Outside of video games, Yoshi appears in Nintendo Monopoly, along with a large cast of Mario characters. Here, he takes the role of Illinois Avenue and costs $240.

In the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack in Minecraft: Wii U Edition, Yoshi appears as a playable skin. Saddles are replaced by Yoshi's saddle. The files for the game show that horses were originally replaced by Yoshi, which does not happen in the actual game.

General information

Physical description and traits

Yoshi's appearance in 1993 (left, from the Nintendo Character Manual) and in 2015 (right, from the coloring book included in the July edition of Japan's TV Video Game Magazine).

Yoshi, as all other Yoshis, is a dinosaur with a large, round nose, a row of orange spines along his head, orange shoes, and a shell-shaped saddle on his back, which is used by Mario and company when being ridden on. Yoshi's initial design is more dinosaur-like, with a narrower, longer, more hunched appearance, and shorter arms[5]. He is also noticeably taller than Mario[6]. Since Mario Kart 64, however, Yoshi's build has been adjusted to be more anthropomorphic, with an upright posture, longer arms, bigger head, and a stouter build, although he is still taller than Mario (comparable to Luigi's height). This newer depiction has slowly replaced the older depiction, although by Mario Party 4, the older depiction is generally replaced. Notably, Yoshi's initial design is used in the Paper Mario series, with the design used in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door following the original design more strictly and Paper Mario: Color Splash still using a posture similar to that of the initial design.

Yoshi's saddle may actually be a part of him. A few sources, such as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games or the official Japanese bio from Nintendo's own site, have stated that it is actually a shell, and more recent depictions show it as a shell-like swelling rather than a flat or inwardly-curved saddle. Furthermore, according to the Super Mario History 1985-2010 booklet, Yoshi was intended to be a variant of Koopa, and the saddle was intended to be a shell. Meanwhile, specific depictions of Baby Yoshi from Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, are shown without a saddle, although other depictions of Baby Yoshi, such as from Yoshi's Story, do include this saddle.

Yoshi is always seen wearing his orange shoes, although in Super Mario Story Quiz Picture Book 5: Mario's Amusement Park (「スーパーマリオおはなしクイズえほん 5 マリオの ゆうえんち」), a book published by Shogakukan and written in collaboration with Nintendo,[7] it was revealed that he has green feet with three toes and a single white pad on each of them.[8] The orange shade in this shoe has varied across appearances, from brownish to reddish. Some games call these shoes "boots" such as the equipment Yoshi can wear in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. These shoes protect Yoshi from obstacles normally harmful to Mario such as Munchers and spikes (although in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its successors, spikes can defeat Yoshi in one hit), so Yoshi can allow Mario to safely cross them. Additionally, Yoshi, when stomping on enemies, typically defeat them in one hit with a special sound effect, similar to Mario's Spin Jump.

Powers and abilities

Yoshi breathing fire in Super Mario 64 DS.

Like other Yoshis, Yoshi has a long, sticky tongue that he uses to eat almost anything, even things much larger than himself. Yoshi can transform the enemies and other objects he eats into eggs, which he can then use as projectile weapons. During the events of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi could keep up to six eggs at a time or up to four Huffin' Puffins which would return to him as if they were boomerangs, and thus renewable.

Yoshi can also transform things that he eats into other objects. For example, in Super Mario World, after Yoshi ate an enemy, one Coin would be added to Mario's coin total. The green dinosaur could also transform berries into eggs. However, instead of using them as projectiles, these eggs would break apart and reveal items, including Super Mushrooms and strange, smiling clouds that would drop coins. In Super Mario RPG, Yoshi could eat enemies to produce eggs that would break apart to reveal a variety of helpful (and often rare) items. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Yoshi can eat enemies to produce Star Bits.

Despite his egg-laying abilities, Yoshi is considered male in most regions. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has gone on record and stated he is not sure if Yoshi is male or female. It could be that Yoshi does not officially have an assigned gender, as the original Japanese does not use gender pronouns.

Yoshi has a hard time swallowing Koopa shells. In fact, in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the green dinosaur simply had to spit out the Koopa shell before he could eat another enemy. In Super Mario World, Yoshi could eventually swallow a Koopa shell, but could also use them to boost his own abilities. While Yoshi could only spit out a green shell, the green dinosaur would instead shoot three large fireballs after ingesting a red shell. A yellow shell would allow Yoshi to create sand clouds whenever he jumped and hit the ground, destroying nearby enemies. A blue shell provided one of the two ways to turn Yoshi into his Winged Yoshi form, allowing him to fly for a limited amount of time. However, if a shell were left in Yoshi's mouth for too long, he would inevitably swallow the shell and as such lose any abilities he may have possessed.

Yoshi is very proficient with Jump and Ground Pound, abilities, rivaling the capabilities of world-renown jumper Mario. However, in Super Mario World, Yoshi's jump attacks were much more powerful than Mario's normal jump attacks. Yoshi could destroy most enemies in one hit (i.e. a Koopa would be completely destroyed, not sent flying out of its shell). As such, Yoshi's jump had the same power as Mario's special Spin Jump technique. The green dinosaur is also a master of the Flutter Jump technique, allowing him to jump with incredible horizontal distance.

Yoshi is a speed character in several sports games, such as the Mario Tennis series, which shows that he is a fast runner. However, he isn't particularly fast in every game, such as Super Mario 64 DS where his speed is the same as Mario and Luigi's (according to the instruction booklet).

Alternate forms

Throughout his adventures, Yoshi has acquired a variety of alternate forms to help him combat the forces of evil. Most of these transformations are a result of special Morph Bubbles that could transform Yoshi into a helpful vehicle. Several canceled alternate forms have been found in the coding of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Their purpose is unknown, but one can assume the plane has a similar function to the helicopter.

Personality

Yoshi has a very similar personality to Mario, being brave and kind, albeit underdeveloped. Yoshi is a friendly individual who always lends a helping hand to those in need. He could be considered a hero and has helped his friends, defeated the evil King Bowser Koopa, and saved his island more than once. He is also very courageous, allowing the green dinosaur to stand and fight enemies much larger than himself, including Yoob, an enlarged Bowser, Nep-Enuts, Tap-Tap the Golden, and the gigantic Baby Bowser. As a result of this courage, Yoshi often takes on a leadership position to the Yoshi clan, although Yoshi has no official political status (unlike the Village Leader from Lavalava Island). In fact, when Yoshi was offered a leadership position during the events of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the humble dinosaur declined the position. Like Mario, Yoshi has a large appetite, to the point of outright gluttony. While Yoshi mostly eats fruits (mainly melons), he eats almost anything including enemies (except peppers and certain inedible enemies). In Volume 3 of Super Mario-Kun, Yoshi gets hurt and begins to cry while red liquid is seen. It turns out to be juice from Yoshi's fruit, which he glumly states, "What a waste."

Relationships

Yoshi is one of Mario's closest friends, with their relationship stretching back to Mario's birth, when Yoshi helped reunite the newborn Baby Mario with his kidnapped brother, Baby Luigi. Mario, as an adult, has returned the favor in Yoshi's New Island by handing Yoshi powerful items if Yoshi is struggling in the level. Later, Mario has helped free Yoshi's homeland from Bowser in Super Mario World. Mario and Yoshi share loyalty to one another, with Yoshi often aiding Mario on his journeys by acting as his steed. This relationship is more pronounced in the Super Mario-Kun. While the Mario and Yoshi are great friends, Yoshi often makes mistakes, much to Mario's annoyance, such as in Volume 1 where Yoshi eats a map, so the two frequently bicker. Despite this, when Yoshi is in danger, even when he is manipulated, Mario risks himself to save Yoshi, shown in volume 23. Yoshi and Luigi are also good friends and allies, although their chemistry in the Mario baseball games is neutral. In the Super Mario World TV show, Luigi is the one who found Yoshi, and the dinosaur initially believed him to be his "mama", with Luigi even continuing to act as a parental figure of sorts, and is known to tell him bedtime stories. This aspect of their relationship is unique to the TV show, however. Other characters Yoshi is friends with include Princess Peach and Toad, and he is also on good terms with Donkey Kong more often than not.

Birdo and Yoshi in their team picture for Mario Party 7.

Yoshi and Birdo are partnered up in various spin-off and sports games, and it has been implied that they are romantically involved. They were seen nuzzling each other on the title screen of Mario Tennis, and on the official Japanese site for Mario Kart: Double Dash!! the description for Catherine states "Catherine appears to be Yoshi's girlfriend... or does that mean boyfriend!?" (「ヨッシーの彼女に見えて実は彼氏!?」)[9]

Kamek is one of Yoshi's most persistent enemies. Kamek, devoted to the Koopa Troop, views Yoshi and his friends as a major threat and attempts multiple times to hinder their progress to save Baby Luigi. He often transforms normal enemies into bosses, but he additionally kidnaps the Stork several times. Kamek, prior to a boss fight, frequently insults Yoshi and his friends, such as calling Yellow Yoshi an "overgrown lizard". With a condescending tone, he threatens or tries to trick Yoshi to give Baby Mario to him. Bowser, who has close ties to Kamek, is also one of Yoshi's major enemies. When Bowser is a baby, he often causes trouble for the Yoshis ranging from stealing cookies to the kidnapping the Super Happy Tree. While Baby Bowser once teamed up with the Yoshis and the other babies in Yoshi's Island DS, he eventually betrayed them in the end in favor. Yoshi, without Mario's direct aid, has also faced against and defeated adult Bowser several times such in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Yoshi's Island DS, and Yoshi's New Island.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Instruction booklet

Trophies

Yoshis are gentle, fleet-of-foot dinosaurs that make their home on idyllic Yoshi's Island. They come in a variety of colours and have evolved an interesting trait to help increase their numbers: they can transform anything they swallow into an egg. With adhesive tongues and bottomless bellies, Yoshi's have been known to eat anything.

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Yoshi [Smash](Adventure)

B: Egg LaySmash B: Egg Roll

To make up for his lack of powerful airborne attacks, Yoshi has a miraculous jumping ability and is resistant to damage while in the air. Yoshi can also swallow a foe and transform him or her into an egg: try doing this close to an edge! The speed and power of the Egg Roll increases if you hold down the B Button, but it'll be tougher to control.

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Yoshi [Smash](All-Star)

Up & B: Egg ThrowDown & B: Yoshi Bomb

Yoshi has no third jump, so the timing of his second jump is of vital importance. The angle and distance of his Egg Throw can be altered by how you tilt the Control Stick and how long you press the B Button. When Yoshi lands after doing his Yoshi Bomb, stars appear on either side of him, making it hard for enemies to deliver counterattacks.

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Mario and Yoshi

Super Mario World8/91

Yoshi was first introduced in Super Mario World, and the sight of Mario riding the helpful character soon became an enduring image. Despite his Cape, Mario can't fly while astride Yoshi. The pair can make huge jumps and drift slowly back to earth, though. As a last resort, Mario could leap off Yoshi's back to safety.